"The fact that someone may not be able to manage their finances or may need other supports doesn't necessarily mean that they shouldn't and can't vote. So, they may need to fight to gain their rights back so that they can participate in elections."

Posted Jul 20, 2016

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Title two of the "Americans with Disabilities Act" requires state and local governments to ensure that people with disabilities have an equal opportunity to vote. However, in some states, many with intellectual and developmental disabilities are denied that opportunity. A conversation with Peter Berns, Chief Executive Officer of The ARC.
Describing the issue, as it relates to court-appointed guardianship, Berns stated, "The fact that someone may not be able to manage their finances or may need other supports doesn't necessarily mean that they shouldn't and can't vote. So, they may need to fight to gain their rights back so that they can participate in elections."
Visit the ARC on the web, on Facebook or follow on Twitter.

Living paycheck to paycheck is a reality many Americans face today, as income does not always keep up with cost of living increases. A 2015 Pew Research Center report states that close to half of those polled in the Latino community struggle with this issue.
Ignacio Salazar, President and C.E.O. of SER, Jobs for Progress National, discusses programs aimed at better equipping Latinos with the necessary skills to thrive in today's job market. This discussion continues in part two of Latino Workforce Development.
Interview recorded Sept 6, 2017.

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The population of young, eligible voters outnumbers the population of senior voters, according to US News and World Report. And while young people have the power to shape election, first-time voters have a notoriously low turnout on Election Day.
Part two of this discussion with David Thornburgh, President and CEO of the Committee of Seventy, focuses on the inspiration for Voices of Voting efforts to expand the program.
Interview recorded June 14, 2017.

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Filipino Americans make up the third largest subgroup of Asian Americans today, with millennials comprising nearly a quarter of this population. And while there about 4 million Filipino and Filipino Americans living in the U.S today, this population is underrepresented in political and leadership roles. Brendan Flores, National Chairman of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations joins Robert Traynam to discuss the welfare and well-being of Filipino Americans and efforts to strengthen the personal and professional development of young Filipino Americans.

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Half of all LGBTQ Americans live in a state without equal employment and fair housing guarantees. David Stacy of the Human Rights Campaign discusses the proposed Equality Act, which would amend federal civil rights law to include the LGBTQ population. Click here for part 1 of The Equality Act: Reintroduced.
Visit the Human Rights Campaign on the web, on Facebook or follow on Twitter.
Interview recorded on May 17, 2017. Hosted by Robert Traynham. Part 2 of 2.
Read a partial transcript of this interview below:
Traynham: Are we better off than we were 4 years ago, 10 years ago, with respect to LGBTQ rights
Stacy: There's no doubt that we've seen tremendous progress. More states have protections, although we still are far from that. The federal government has done more. We have repeal of "Don't ask, don't tell." We have open transgender military service now. So, we've really made some really significant steps forward. There's a long way to go. You know, if you can get married in any state in the country now, which is fantastic, but if you live in one of those states where there aren't these statewide protections, you know, you can face discrimination in your job, in housing, as you expressed, in credit, where you just wouldn't expect it. And so, there really is a need for these legal protections. But even then, once we have legal protections, you know, we've had legal protections for more than 50 years on race and there's still racial discrimination. So that's not a full solution. We're trying to change hearts and minds as well as laws.
Traynham: I'm going to throw you two outside-the-box questions.
Stacy: Sure.
Traynham: The first is, let's say I'm watching this program at home or perhaps on my smart device, and I'm just confused. I'm straight, but I'm just confused. I feel like I have a lot of questions, but I'm not exactly sure where I can get some answers. Where do I go
Stacy: Well, our website is a fantastic place. That was a really tough, tough question there. No, hrc.org -- we have a lot of information there, including coming-out guides -- coming out for people who want to come out themselves, but also we have guides for families. We have guides in coming out in your church or your religious institution. We have guides for how to come out in school. We have guides for educators around how to handle these issues in schools, because, you know, kids are often bullied because of their sexual orientation or gender identity or because of their perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. And so, you know, a kid that is a boy that is more effeminate, even if they're not gay or transgender, might face bullying in school. Or, you know, a girl who's a tomboy -- you know, is what you used to call it -- may face discrimination there. And so, we have a lot of tools for parents, for teachers, other educators to deal with those problems, too.
Traynham: And my second kind of curveball question -- you just kind of answered it -- and that is, if I am a part of the LGBTQ community and I just don't know where to go, I feel like I can't talk to my parents, my grandparents, or my friends, and perhaps maybe I'm in a really rural area where I just can't walk down the street and maybe go to a community clinic or something like that, where do I go
Stacy: Yeah, well, you know, you and I are a lot older. And us growing up, you'd really be in a really tough pickle, right
Traynham: Yes, big-time.
Stacy: Because there really is nowhere to go. You really are isolated and you have to figure out who to trust, and there may be no one that you're sure of. You know, we're not in that situation. First of all, online, there are tremendous resources. We have resources on our website, but there's all kinds of LGBTQ organizations, youth-serving ones, that have resources available. And then, more and more schools are being supportive. And you know, a lot of schools, there are teachers that have, you know, little rainbow stickers or other things to show that they're supportive. There's more GSAs -- Gay Student Alliances -- in schools that provide support services. So there's really a lot of resources. If you go online and do some searching, it's really easy to find, especially for kids these days, you know They'll find it really fast, so it's really something you can really do easily.

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